The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Subway Sign

$51 Billion Capital Investment Plan Sets Records for New York MTA

There are some very large contingencies still left to resolve (like funding from the federal government) but revenues generated from congestion pricing are allowing for new levels of transit infrastructure spending.

September 17 - Politico

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

28.3 Million Acres of Public Land at Risk in Alaska

The Trump administration is working on multiple fronts to liquidate public land in Alaska as the state struggles to balance its budget.

September 16 - Center for American Progress

Angelino Heights

First-Time Home Buyers Look Different Than They Once Did

New home-buyers are a little older and a lot more likely to be single than they were 20 years ago.

September 16 - CityLab

Electric Cars

Consumer Group Accuses States of 'Punishing' Electric Vehicle Drivers

The advocacy division of Consumer Reports published a study to highlight the practice of what could soon be a majority of state governments: charging electric vehicle owners an additional registration fee to compensate for forgone fuel tax revenue.

September 16 - Consumer Reports

Los Angeles City Hall

L.A.'s New Tool for More Efficient City Asset Management

Controller Ron Galperin on his latest announcement proposing the creation of the Los Angeles Municipal Development Corporation, a nonprofit entity that would be tasked with managing city assets in a more strategic way.

September 16 - The Planning Report


Vancouver Street Scene

Pedestrian Planning Changing the Public Realm in Vancouver

A renewed commitment to pedestrian friendly infrastructure is changing the face of Vancouver and making space for more density.

September 16 - The Globe and Mail

Servers

BLOG POST

Digital Transportation: The Future of Urban Mobility

The physical scale and unprecedented population growth in some cities have officials grappling with how to manage their transportation network. The Open Mobility Foundation has a bold, digitally-based vision to help cities meet their mobility goals.

September 16 - Robert Fischer


Garcetti Expo Line

Frequencies Restored on L.A.'s Expo Line After Rider Backlash

Trains were already crowded on the Metro Expo Line when they ran every six minutes during peak hours. When Metro cut frequencies to every eight minutes in June, riders were not pleased.

September 16 - The Source

Street Construction

A Traffic Safety Commitment for Chicago's West Side

Transportation planning will take on a much more safety-oriented focus according to the West Side Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan announced last week.

September 16 - Streetsblog Chicago

Tilikum Crossing

Report: Shared Bikes and Scooters Could Reduce Car Trips By 50 Percent in Downtowns

A new report by INRIX Research ranks cities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany for the potential of micrombility devices to reduce automobile trips.

September 16 - The Oregonian

Cedar Rapids Floods

The Great Flood of 2019, Visualized

The New York Times has published a spectacular mapping and data project to show the extent of flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the winter, spring, and summer of 2019.

September 16 - The New York Times

Waterfront

Lessons in Tax Increment Financing

Vermont enabled tax increment financing (TIF) for the city of Burlington in 1985, in keeping with a nationwide trend at the time. TIF is still a major player in the state's redevelopment efforts to this day.

September 15 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Transportation Planning

Seattle Ponders Improvements to Ballard Bridge for All Modes of Transport

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is in the midst of a planning study on Ballard Bridge, soliciting feedback from the community about how to improve circulation of vehicles and pedestrians.

September 15 - The Urbansist

Echo Park

L.A. Unveils Plans for Historic Water Infrastructure Tax

Katy Young Yaroslavsky discusses the the Measure W Implementation Ordinance and the committee appointees tasked with determining how this new funding will flow into community water projects.

September 15 - The Planning Report

Nice Tramway

France's Transit Ridership Booms as the USA's Busts

Large American cities are losing bus and train riders, but in France, most cities have seen the opposite trend.

September 15 - theTransportPolitic

Farmers' Market

Your County May Not be Very Good at Accessing Community Development Funding

New research shows that some U.S. communities are much better than others at attracting grants and financing for community development—even after adjusting for relative need. The numbers are clear, but the reasons for the disparity may not be.

September 15 - Shelterforce

Ontario

Toronto's New Affordable Housing Program Yields 651 New Units

The first round of projects to move forward under Toronto's Open Door affordable housing program will deliver 651 units spread across eight developments.

September 14 - Toronto Star

Air Conditioner

The High Cost of Cool Air

Air conditioning has drastically changed modern life and the ways cities have developed. But, the environmental consequences are immense, and it’s time to cut back.

September 14 - The Guardian

Pedestrian Danger

After Rash of Pedestrian Deaths, Texas Looks to Create Safety Initiative

In 2018, drivers killed 632 pedestrians in Texas; 68 pedestrians were killed in San Antonio.

September 14 - Fox San Antonio

Port Authority of Allegheny County

Fewer Bus Stops in Pittsburgh

The Port Authority of Allegheny County is slowly but surely removing a significant number of bus stops from 98 routes in the system. Two routes are under review right now.

September 14 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.